Instrument-board



D. F. JOHNSTON. INSTRUMENT BOARD, APPLICATION FILED. APR. 15. I918.

Patented June 3, 1919.

ME :wRms PETERS conlwomumow wnsumaron. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

DONALD F. JOHNSTON, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIG-NOR T0 STEWART-WARNER SPEEDOMETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFVIRGINIA.

msrnumnnnnonnn Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed April 15, 1918. Serial No. 228,547.

;a subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain,

residing at Toronto,in the Province of Ontario, in the Dominion ofCanada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inInstrumentBoards, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The object of this invention is to provide an instrument boardapplicable to a vehicle body without the use of tools or securing meansother than the frictional engagement of certain parts of the board withthe vehicle body. It consists in certain features and relations of theparts hereinafter described and shown in the drawings as indicated bythe claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a face View of an instrument board embodying this inventiontogether with certain parts of the vehicle body to which it is applied.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section showing the instrumentboard and related parts on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a detail face View of one end of the board and related parts,being taken as indicated at line 3-3 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a detail section taken as indicated at line 4.1 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the endportion of an instrument boardembodying a modification of this invention.

Fig. 6 is a section taken as indicated at line 6-6 on Fig. 5.

The parts of the vehicle body, shown in the drawings, include the sidepanels, 1, surmounted by the cowl sides, 2, supporting brackets, 3,which carry the wind shield, 4. Extending across the body between thecowl sides, 2, is the instrument board, 5, embodying this invention andhaving as its primary function the support of the speedometer, 6, orother instrument. The upper edge of the board, 5, is formed with agroove, 7, engaging the depending edge or flange, S, of the cowl, 9,while the end portions of the board are reduced in thickness and undersurfaces are formed convexly to fit the curvature of the downwardlysloping edges, 11, of the cowl sides or brackets, 2, so that the ends ofthe board will rest and lodge firmly against said parts. The loweredges,

12, of these end portions of the board are wedged into engagement withthe short ledges or sills, 13, of the side panels, 1, of the vehiclebody. Since the lower edges, 12,.

are inclined upwardly from the middle portion of the board, they willusually engage only the corner edges, 14, of the sills, 13, as indicatedin Fig. 3; but it may be understood that the material of the board, 5,which is preferably wood will be sufiiciently elastic and compressibleto render this wedging engagement between the lower edge, 12, and theedge, 14, of the side panel, 1 adequate securement for the board byreason of the friction between the parts at these points of engagement.

However, in addition to the friction holding the board in position, itmay be noted that the flexible shaft, 15, of the speedometer, trendsdownwardly in a direction slightly oblique to the plane of the boarditself, which is not exactly vertical, and. thus the shaft, 15,-tends toexert a pull in direction to hold the board in place. Fur thermore theweight of the speedometermechanism in its casing, 16, being princi pallyback of the general plane of the board,

and therefore under the board owing to the inclined position of thelatter, this weight will also act in a direction to assist the retention of the board in its proper relation to the vehicle body.

It may be further noted that the lower edge of the middle portion of theboard at 17 is proximate the inclined steering column, 18, which extendsat an acute angle to the face of the board, 5, so that if the edges, 12,of the end portions, 10, should. become disengaged from the sill edges,14, the board could not swing upwardly at its lower edge, 17 for anyconsiderable distance without encountering the oblique steering column,18, and being stopped thereby; hence the edges, 12, cannot sliderearwardly upon the sills, 13, for any considerable distance, and, ifthe board becomes loosened, it must still remain substantially inposition in the body. Under all ordinary circumstances, however, thefriction at the edges, 14, is sufficient to retain the parts securelywith the rear surfaces of the ends, 10, lodged against the curvedsurfaces, 11, of the brackets, 2.

As a modification of the invention, however, Figs. 5 and 6 present astructure in which the rear faces of the end portions, 10,

19, tending to assume as of the board, 5, are each provided with flatcurved springs, 19, each having one end anchored at or near the upperportion of the width of the board by means of screws, 20, while aclearance groove or notch, 21, is tormed near the lower edge, 12, forfree play of the end, 22, of each spring, 19. The clearance provided bythe groove, 21, will permit the board, 5, to be easily positioned withits groove, 7, engaging the depending cowl flange, 8, but as the reducedend portions, 10, are moved back against the curved edges, 11, of thecowl brackets, 2, the springs, near straight form as possible, willfollow along the edges, 14, of sills, 13, strongly engaging the latterand tending to bite into the edges, 14, slightly, so as to resist anyreverse movement of the board away from the curved surfaces, 11. In thismodification it will be seen that the elasticity of springs, 19, merelyreplaces the elasticity of the material of the board itself, which isrelied upon in the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 4, while the relativelysharp edges, 22, of the springs, 19, provide for maximum frictionalengagement with the sill edges, 14.

It may be noted that the sills, 13, and their edges, 14, are notstrictly parallel, but converge forwardly of the vehicle body, while thelower edges, 12, of the ends of the board are oppositely inclined withrespect to the upper edge. As a result, in its approach to the finalposition shown in the drawings, a wider part of the board is constantlypresented for engagement in a narrower part edges,

of the vehicle body,narrower both vertically, and horizontally betweenthe sill 14, thus insuring a firm wedging of the board in its place.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vehicle body having a cowl with a dependingedge eX- tending transversely of the body and side sills in a planebelow said edge, an instrument board wedged in place with its upper edgeengaging the cowl edge and with its end portions lodged upon the sills.

2 In combination with a vehicle body having a cowl with a depending edgeeX- tending transversely of the body and side sills in a plane belowsaid edge, an instrument board positioned with its upper edge engagingthe cowl edge and formed with the end portions of its lower edgeoppositely inclined to the upper edge and lodged upon the sills.

3. In the combination set out in claim 2, said sills convergingforwardly of the vehicle and said inclined lower edges of the boardbeing wedged into engagement with said converging sills.

4. In the combination set out in claim 1, said end portions of the boardbeing composed of material adapted to react elastically against saidsills to produce a triotional engagement therewith.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Toronto, Canada,this 8th day of April, 1918.

DONALD F. J OHN STON,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

